The Age of Not Believing
by EverlastingFlower96
Summary: A year has past since Jamie first befriended Jack Frost. Most of his friends have stopped believing in the Guardians, except him. Concerned for his mental stability, his mother calls someone who she knows can help Jamie. But with the arrival of this special visitor, old conflicts that have haunted the family for years resurrect, and now Jamie and Jack's friendship is at risk.
1. Reunited with old Friends

**Chapter One**

Jamie Bennett woke up one crisp, fall morning in the middle of November to find a thin layer of frost covering his front yard, intricate frost patterns uncurling across his window, like ice-y ferns. He climbed out of his rather large bed, his bare toes touching the cold wooden floor. Rushing over to the window, he pressed his eager face up against the glass, peering outside. The sky was cloudy and gray, the street was still wet from the rainfall last night, and leaves that had been blown off of their trees from the fierce wind the night before clung to the wet pavement. And on the front yard, a layer of frost had appeared. To every other person, this was just any other dreary Monday morning in Burgess, Pennsylvania. But to Jamie Bennett, this was going to be the best day ever.  
>With an excited whoop, he tore himself from the window and rushed over to his dresser drawers, pulling out pants, several pairs of socks, clean boxers, and shirts and tossing them onto the floor. In his excitement, he missed the knock on the door. From the other side of the door a soft voice called, "Jamie?" Jamie did not hear someone saying his name, and kept rummaging through his drawers, trying to find his favorite flannel shirt. The door opened slowly, and his mother peeked her head in. Her eyes flicked from the vacant bed to her son in the corner, trying to pull on a pair of denim jeans, and the rumpled clothes strewn all over the floor. She shook her head and sighed.<p>

"Jamie? What are you doing?" Jamie looked up with a start. "Oh, morning mom!" The corners of his mouth turned upward in an enormous grin. He rolled around the floor, struggling to pull on a pair of thick, gray wool socks. Jackie Bennett shook her head, resting her weight on the door post, chuckling softly. "And what would you be up to, by any chance? I usually have to _literally_ drag you out of bed in the morning."

Jamie stood up, tucking his white shirt underneath his blue flannel shirt into his trousers. "No time, Mom! I gotta' go outside!" Jackie glanced out the window at the gray wet atmosphere, then back at her son who was now wrestling with his winter boots which he had slightly out grown since last winter. "Outside-Jamie, have you even looked out the window? It looks like a Tim Burton film out there!"

"But Mom,"

Jamie shoved his foot into the second boot.

"There's frost outside and-"

"Jamie, it's not supposed to snow until next weekend. There's no need to get excited over a little bit of frost on the window." Jamie stood up, not letting her statement discourage him. "But Mom, the frost…It means _he's_ back!" Jamie turned and raced out the door and down the hall.

Jackie sighed. _Here we go again, _she thought.

Jamie had always been a very imaginative young boy, and she admired him for that. She always believed that he would one day go places with that mind of his. But at times, she could not help but feel concerned for her nine year old son. Jamie had always believed things like Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, etc. and for a while she had been sure that he would soon grow out of it like all the children his age usually did sooner or later. But ever since this past Easter, Jamie had all of a sudden become _obsessed_ with these mere figments of children's imaginations. He was now convinced that they were in fact, real. He had woken up one morning and came running down the stairs, yelling excitedly about some dream he must've had about Santa, Sandman, Jack Frost, and how they were so different than what the world portrayed them to be. He then talked about a battle they fought in their own neighborhood, and he and his friends had helped fight with the "Guardians" as Jamie referred to them. At first, she had let it slip past her mind. She was sure this wasn't going to last long, and by the end of the summer, he'd have stopped believing in these childish fantasies.

How very wrong she was.

Summer had come and gone, and Jamie and Sophie began their fourth grade and preschool year in school, and Jamie has this childish obsession. She had heard from one of his teachers in school, that he was being made fun of by some of the other kids in his class, and even some of the older children at school. Jackie Bennett was now considering whether or not she should send Jamie to a Psychologist or something that would help him to stop this childish nonsense. At this point, she wanted it to stop, but she didn't know what to do. At the same time, she didn't want to hurt Jamie, but she also wanted him to start growing up….

Jackie shook her head and came back to reality. She looked around the now vacant room and sighed heavily.

_Maybe _she_ would help solve this problem_. She thought to herself.

Jamie was fumbling with the buttons on his winter coat when Jackie came downstairs in search of her son. "Oh, no you don't! You haven't even had breakfast yet today!"

"Aww, Mom! I'm not even hungry!" Jackie folded her arms and looked at her son sternly in the eye. "Jamie Bennett, you will do as I say, right now, Mister!"

"But-"

"No "but's"! You will eat something this morning, _and_ you still have two more days of school before break starts." Jamie looked outside, then back at his mother. He sighed and hung his head. He needed to go outside so badly, but at the same time, he didn't want to disobey his mother and lose his place on St. Nicolas "Nice List". He stepped away from the door and began removing his hat and coat.  
>"Thank you Jamie," his mother said. "Once you've removed your boots, I have some blueberry waffles ready for you on the table out in the kitchen." Jamie looked up suddenly at the mention of waffles. "Waffles? What's the occasion, Mom?" Jackie, who had already retreated to the kitchen, poked her head out from behind a corner.<p>

"Jamie, don't you remember what today is?"

Jamie paused, thinking for a moment. In his excitement, he had forgotten that today was a very important day. Then, realization hit him, and his face lit up with excitement. Racing past his mother, he sat down at the table and began devouring his breakfast. Jackie shook her head, smiling to herself. _"Oh Jamie," _she thought. _"What am I going to do with you?_

Time in school usually seemed to pass by slowly for Jamie, but today it seemed like the hands on the clock had decided to stop moving. He spent most of his morning slouched over his desk, listening to Ms. Drewpedge drone on and on about fractions and metamorphosis. When the bell finally rang for class dismissal, Jamie was the first one out the door. He raced down the hall, nearly bumping into the school janitor Mr. Greevus, who was on his way to the ladies room to clean up a stall a girl had apparently thrown up in and made a mess of. Jamie made a quick apology, then continued running. Out the big double doors, down the stone steps, and out onto the courtyard he ran, his heart pumping rapidly, his heavy backpack smacking his back uncomfortably. His face stung from the cold air that whipped against his face as he ran down the sidewalk, passing adults who turned a curious eye towards him as he rushed passed them.

He suddenly turned off the sidewalk and made a dash for the woods where he and many of his friends played in. Leaves that were still damp from yesterday's rain squelched under his boots, and sticks cracked loudly, as the young boy continued to run. He suddenly came to a stop in a clearing, finally out of breath. He let his backpack drop off his shoulders and onto the grass, as he stepped forth from the trees, looking around him. Before him, was a rather large pond, which reflected the gray sky above it, brown leaves floated on its stilled surface like tiny boats. He didn't hear anything except for a flock of geese flying overhead. "Hello? Is anyone here?" He called out.

He listened carefully, but heard nothing.

"Hello? It's Jamie!"

Still nothing.

Jamie sighed.

Maybe _he_ had left and gone elsewhere. As he turned to go, a sudden gust of wind stopped him and knocked him onto his rear end. He heard a strange noise behind him and turned to find the pond suddenly freezing over, a thick sheet of ice covering it, beautiful frost patterns spreading forth across the surface. Jamie scrambled to his feet excitedly, looking around eagerly.

_Wham!_

Something cold hit Jamie on the back of his head, knocking his hat off. Jamie yelled in surprise, and placed a hand over the back of his head, feeling what it was that hit him. He drew it back and examined it.

Snow.

"Snow…" Jamie whispered.

As if on cue, tiny snowflakes began to fall from sky, one landed on his nose and he stared at cross eyed as he watched it slowly melt. He heard a soft laugh behind him, and he turned around, a huge grin spreading across his face.

"Jack!" He rushed over to the barefooted teenager and threw his arms around his middle, hugging him tightly. "Welcome back!" Jack laughed, ruffling Jamie's hair playfully. "Hey kiddo, it's good to be home."


	2. Emily

**A quick word from the author:  
><em>Wow! I can't get over how many people have viewed the first chapter alone so far! I just checked my story stats, and I have approx. 130 views on this...<em>**

**_WOW! Thank you very much for reading this, I hope you'll continue to enjoy it. I'm so sorry that it's taken so long to update, I promise I'll be more committed to updating faster. :)_**

**_~Rose_**

* * *

><p>The Age of Not Believing<p>

Chapter Two: Emily

_3 weeks earlier…_

Jackie sat the kitchen table, deep in thought, while holding a cup of hot chocolate between her thin hands, feeling the steam rise from her mug and bathe her face in warmth. She rarely had moments like these all to herself now a days.

Usually Jackie found herself fussing over getting Jamie and Sophie ready for school, trying to clean the house, throwing together soup and putting it in the old crock pot for dinner later that evening, dropping the kids off to school, then heading over to work. After she left work and picked the kids up from school, she would then busy herself some more for the next several hours helping the kids with homework, putting together the final touches for dinner, walking the dog, cleaning the dishes, putting the kids to bed, and then sitting hunched over the table while she worked long and hard into the night to pay the bills.

Quiet didn't exist in Jackie's world.

She sighed and finally brought the mug to her lips, taking a small sip. She licked the left over chocolate off her upper lip and glanced out the window facing their little backyard, where Jamie and Sophie were playing. Sophie was happily playing in the large pile of leaves that Jackie had raked up earlier that morning while the kids were watching _Doctor Who _in the living room. Sophie made a running leap and dove into the pile, leaves scattering everywhere. She emerged squealing with delight, green eyes sparkling, and brown leaves snagged in her long blonde hair, which she seemed totally oblivious to.

Jackie couldn't resist cracking a smile and shook her head. _Oh to be that young again, _she mused.

Her eyes flickered over to Jamie, who was sitting underneath a large oak tree, drawing in the little notebook he always kept with him. Intently staring at his work, his hand blindly felt about the browning grass until his fingertips touched his crayon box, which had somehow tipped over.

He pulled out a crayon and began coloring something in, probably one of his many illustrations from "The Rise of the Guardians", a comic book he had been working on for the past six months."The title is still a work in progress," Jamie had told her one morning, while he sat at the kitchen table drawing.

Jackie stared at him for a long time, studying the look of deep concentration and determination on his young face while he continued working. Jackie let out another long sigh, and set the mug down on the table. "Oh Jamie," she murmured softly. "What am I going to do with you?" The concern for the wellbeing and sanity of her son was evident, but she had no idea what to do.

Jackie pushed her chair back and stood up, drinking the rest of her cocoa and taking the mug over to the kitchen sink. While she rinsed out the mug, her mind began racing with ideas. She could send Jamie to see some children's specialist; a psychiatrist of sorts, so he or she could figure out the source of Jamie's obsession with his little fantasies.

No.

Psychiatrists costed money. Money she did not have at the time, and money that she needed to pay the mortgage and other important bills, so that was definitely out of the question.

She could send Jamie to the school counselor, but the last time she had done that, it hadn't gone over well in the end. Mrs. Jacobi, who had worked as the head school counselor for thirty-five years, had Jamie as one of her clients for about two months before she finally had enough and told Jamie to leave and not come back.

"I've never met a child who had his or her mind as set as Jamie's!" She had told Mrs. Bennett over the phone. "For once I am at a lost with what to do with the child; I swear he's mad! Insane! He is so convinced that these fictional characters are real, there is nothing I can do to persuade him that it's nothing more than mere child's play. I'm sorry Jacqueline, but I'm afraid this is a more serious problem; you might want to consider a professional." And from that day on, Jamie Bennett had not stepped foot over the threshold of Mrs. Jacobi's office.

_Mad._

_Insane._

Those two words scared Jackie more than she would ever dare let on. The Bennett family already had quite the reputation in Burgess, and she did not want to have to add a mentally unstable child to the list. Ever since she and Daniel, her ex–husband, had divorced five years ago, it had caused quite a ruckus in Burgess and made everyone on edge, things had never been the same for the Bennett's. Jackie shook her head, trying to drive those thoughts out of her mind.

She glanced down at her cellphone which was sitting about a foot away from her hand. She picked it up and began tentatively scrolling her contacts. After scrolling for a moment, she stopped and stared at one in particular.

She had promised that she wouldn't initiate any form of conversation, but this was important. Perhaps she would understand. She touched the name on the phone and held it up to her ear while she heard it ringing on the other end.

_Please pick up. PLEASE pick up!_ She desperately pleaded inside her mind. The phone rung several times without an answer. Jackie sighed heavily and removed the phone from her ear.

_It was the thought that counted. _She thought.

Just as she was about to end the call, she heard a muffled voice on the other end.

"Hello?"

Jackie froze.

Could it be?

"Um…Hello? Anyone there?" Jackie brought the phone up to her ear eagerly, speaking rather quickly. "Yes, hello?" She felt a rush of relief course through her veins.

"Why are you calling me? I thought we had a deal that we wouldn't have any contact!" Jackie felt her heart drop in her chest.

_Still bitter._

"Yes, yes I know that, and I'm sorry. But, come on it's been almost three years now!" She replied slowly, trying to keep her voice level.

"That doesn't really make much of a difference. I told you I didn't want to talk, and as I far as I am aware of, that desire has not changed."

"I know, but this isn't about me. It's something more important." Jackie answered quickly, hoping that the phone wouldn't go silent on the other end.

"What could seriously possibly be this important that you're calling me?" Jackie could sense the impatience on the other end, and knew she had to act quickly, otherwise she would get hung up on.

"It's about Jamie," she stated firmly, making sure to put emphasis in every word.

There was a brief pause on the other end.

"Jamie? Is he alright –what happened? Where-"

"He's outside in the back with Sophie." Jackie answered reassuring Jamie's safety.

"Then why-"

"Look, I'm calling you because at this point, because I feel like you're the only one who can help Jamie. I honestly don't know what else I can do…He really needs you here right now."

"What's wrong with Jamie?" Came the inquiry.

"Jamie has been behaving...oddly over the past several months," Jackie replied, launching into her story. "You know how he's got such a wonderful and creative imagination, and that he always loved hearing those stories about fairies, mermaids, Santa Claus, and the Sandman and he loved to pretend that they were all real?"

"Y-eeesss?"

"Well, I thought that Jamie would've out grown all of that by now; but he's nine years old now, and he still hasn't outgrown these fairytales!"

"Well, sometimes it's not uncommon for children his age to still believe in those sorts of things. He should grow out of that over the next couple of months. Have you sat down and talked to him about this? I mean really, _why_ do you need to call _me_ about something as trivial as this? This is something you could handle on your own!"

"I know but this is turning into something I can't control!" Jackie exclaimed.

"What do you mean "_out of your control_?"

"What I mean is…" Jackie sighed. "Rather than growing out of these myths, his belief in them is growing _stronger_. Especially after this past Easter, all he can talk about is Jack Frost, the Easter Bunny, and how he battled the Boogey Man in the middle of town! He's _convinced_ that they are real, and there's nothing I can do to dissuade him from it all. He continues to stick his baby teeth under his pillow for the tooth fairy to come during the night, and he regularly writes letters to Santa through out the year and sends them in the mail. He has these pictures hidden in his toy chest of all the adventures he says he's had, and-" Jackie's voice caught in her throat.

"I'm scared…" She finally managed to force the words out of her mouth. "I'm beginning to think that he may be mentally troubled or something, and I can't afford to send him to a professional to have him examined-"

The voice on the other end interrupted her. "Whoa, you're making it sound like he's some sort of freak! Come on, it's _Jamie_! He's never expressed signs of insanity. I'm sure it's just a faze he's going through."

Jackie nodded her head frantically, wishing her point could possibly be understood. "I know, that's what I thought; but now I'm not sure."

She paused for a moment. "All the kids in his grade make fun of him for still believing. Even some of the younger children who have stopped believing at an early age talk about him at school. They all think he's nuts. Jamie has to spend his time by himself during recess, and I don't like that. Isolation isn't good for a boy his age! _Please_, I'm begging you… Can you help him?"

There was a very long pause.

"Hello, are you still there?" Jackie asked hesitantly.

No reply.

Jackie sighed, and pulled the phone away from her ear. _It was worth a shot. _She thought sadly.

"What do you want me to do?" The voice on the other end asked hesitantly. Jackie brought the phone up to her ear again. "What did you say?"

An irritated sigh.

"I said: "What. Do. You. Want. Me. To. Do?"

"Come home; please. Spend time with him and Sophie, and see what you can do to help him. I know that he trusts and loves you very much. You're the top of your class studying this sort of stuff in college…Maybe you could figure something out while you're here."

"You….want me to come home? Look, I'm sorry but I already have plans! My boyfriend Drew and I are going over to his parents place for Thanksgiving and-"

"You have a boyfriend?" Jackie interrupted in surprise.

"Yeah, we've been dating for about two years. Anyway I-"

"Well, why don't you and Drew come over here for Thanksgiving instead so he could meet me and the kids! I mean it's only fair since you've met his family and-"

"Look, I'm sorry, but I don't think that's a good idea-"

"PLEASE." Jackie's voice rose a couple octaves. "I. Am. Begging. You. I think Jamie really needs you right now, as do I. _Please_ consider it just this once. After Thanksgiving, you won't have to see or hear from us anymore, and things can go back to the way they were."

There was a moments silence then, "I'll be there in about three weeks. I have a couple finals to complete, and I'll have to speak to Drew, but…I'll be there."

"Thank you," Jackie finally whispered.

"Yeah, no problem…Mom."

There was an awkward pause, then Jackie heard a click, and the line on the other end went dead. Jackie set her phone down on the table, and blankly stared at the wall ahead of her while she tried to process this. She couldn't believe it. After all these years–it had worked...

The two kids looked up curiously at their mother for a moment, then they both stood up and ran towards the back porch eagerly.

* * *

><p>Jamie and Jack walked side by side through the woods, Jack had a pale hand resting on Jamie's shoulder.<p>

"_So_, what have you been up to lately? Still working on that book?" Jacked asked.

Jamie nodded eagerly, moving at a brisker pace to try to keep up with Jack's longer strides. "Yeah! I just finished writing chapter 12 yesterday!" Jamie grinned proudly at this achievement. "Really? Twelve chapters? That's quite the achievement for a boy your age! Tell me, did you remember to include all the important details like my devilishly good looks, and heroic attributes?" Jamie laughed, pushing Jack playfully. "Come on, get real!"

Jack pretended to look hurt. "I may be partially offended right now. I can't believe my own best friend could be so cruel!" Jack took off from the ground disappeared out of sight. Jackie spun around, trying to catch a glimpse of the Winter Spirit. "Jack? Jack, where are you? Come on, I was only joking! Jack? JACK?"

Jamie suddenly found himself with a face full of snow. Jamie spluttered and heard laughter up ahead. Once his vision cleared, he found Jack standing behind a tree. "Ya know, I was only joking too." Jack smirked mischievously. Jamie stuck out his tongue childishly and laughed. Jack chuckled softly and motioned Jamie to follow him. They continued down along the path leading down to Burgess, frost spreading forth with each step Jack took. "But seriously though, you're the main character in my story; it's all good stuff!" Jamie finally said.

Jack smiled and ruffled Jamie's hair playfully. "Oh good, I was getting a little worried there for a moment." Jack answered, with a hint of sarcasm. They reached the top of the hill that looked down over Burgess, which looked very sad a midst all the gray and gloom that hung over their heads in the sky.

"Well, whaddya say to a little snowball fight in town with the other kids, or perhaps another little sledding adventure?" Jack winked at Jamie nudging him with his elbow, remembering that being their first encounter before Jamie even believed in Jack Frost.

Jamie shook his head.

"I really wish I could Jack, but I have to go home soon."

Jack leaned against his staff, raising his eyebrow slightly. "'Go home'? Wow, this is the first time Jamie Bennett has ever turned down a snow fight with the infamous Jack Frost!" Jamie took a step forward towards town. "No, I'm serious Jack! This is kind of important."

The other eyebrow went up.

"Oh? How so?"

Jamie broke into a huge grin, his eyes brightening.

Although Jack had no idea what was going on, he knew that whatever was going on in Jamie's life at home was a big deal. "Because...Emily is coming home!" Jack looked at Jamie with confusion.

"I'm sorry, I don't quite follow."

"Emily… Is. coming. home…" Jamie said slowly, the grin not faltering once.

"Who exactly is Emily?" Jack interrogated him.

"Oh, sorry. I forgot you didn't know about her. She's my sister!" Jamie exclaimed.

Jack was taken aback.

"Your…_sister_?"

"Uh-huh, come on! I can't be late!" And before Jack could reply, Jamie took off down the hill, running as fast as his legs could carry him. Jack stared at the retreating figure in surprise.

"_Sister-_ What? Hey Jamie, wait up a second!"

* * *

><p>Jackie was just stepping out onto the front porch with Sophie's hand in hers when Jamie came running up the street, Jack following suit, unbeknownst to Jackie. "Jamie, there you are! I was beginning to get worried. Where were you?"<p>

Jamie was at a loss for words, trying to come up with a seemingly valid alibi. "Never mind that now, you just made it. She's supposed to be here any minute." Just the last word left her lips, yellow Volkswagen turned the corner and began to head down the street. "Look Sophie! There she is!" Jackie knelt down next to Sophie, pointing. Sophie's gaze followed the direction of her mother's finger.

Her green eyes lit up with delight. Sophie had never exactly met Emily, but the thought of having a big sister delighted her. "Emmy! Emmy!" She jumped up and down, pointing as well. Jack leaned over next to Jamie, whispering in his ear although it didn't really matter considering that Jackie couldn't see him, and Sophie was too excited to even notice his presence. "Jamie, why didn't you ever tell me you had another sister?"

Jamie turned and looked at Jack, a little guilty at this little error. "It's…kind of a long story. You see-"

But before Jamie could continue, the car pulled into the driveway and came to a halt. The engine quieted and the driver's door opened and rather handsome with dark hair stepped out onto the parking lot. He smiled and nodded politely to Jackie and went to the other side of the car and opened the door, reaching a hand inside and another hand took his, allowing him to help her out. A young woman stepped out of the car, and the young man shut the door behind her. Jack's jaw dropped at the sight of her as she and the young man hesitantly approached Jackie and Sophie.

Sophie let go of her mother's hand and bolted towards Emily, throwing herself upon her and hugging her knees.

Emily gasped in surprise, but then smiled awkwardly and knelt down to hug her little sister. "Hey there Sophie! Wow, let me look at you!" She held Sophie at arms length to look at her better. "I can't believe how big you've gotten! What are you, four now?" Sophie's head bobbed up and down, grinning. Jack could not believe how much she looked like Sophie.

Both girls shared the same golden hair and emerald green eyes. The only thing that she and Jamie shared were the little freckles that decorated the bridge of their noses and their elfish faces.

And speaking of Jamie….

"Hey there Jamie, are you going to say hi or not?" Emily was looking at Jamie quizzically. Jamie left Jack's side and ran over to Emily and threw his arms around her neck, hugging her tightly.

"I've missed you." Jamie whispered, his brown eyes slowly filling with tears.

Emily was taken aback for a moment, then she sighed and returned the hug, rubbing Jamie's back soothingly.

"I know...I've missed you too bud."

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><p><strong>Wow! There ya go! I'm sorry it took so long to update, but I've been busy with finals and the never ending search for a job. But now that the semester is over, and I am home. I can now sit down and finally write for my own pleasure. :)<strong>

**Anyways, was the pace too fast for you? Did it seem about right? Let me know, and anything else you pick up on; I reeeally appreciate the feedback. I hope you all are doing well.**

**Merry Christmas to you all! :)**

**EDIT: Someone pointed out to me that I got Jamie's eye colour wrong, so I wanted to correct that before anyone else became distressed over the error. Also, the third chapter should be posted sometime tonight or tomorrow morning. I'll be able to work on it all day because I cannot leave the house for a few days. I just my wisdom teeth removed yesterday, and I'm still in pain. :(**


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